Saint Ignatius and Barcelona •
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Ignatius visited Barcelona three three times, the frst time or only one month while preparing his trip to Jerusalem. He let Manresa or Barcelona on Feruary !"#!$ !%&', and he oarded ship or Italy on March &(#&&. )he second visit too* place the ollowing year when on arriving ac* rom Jerusalem, he decided to study +atin in Barcelona, in order to egin his way toward the priesthood. )his time he spent two and a hal years in Barcelona, rom early Feruary !%& until mid-July !%&. )he third visit lasted three months at most, when ecause o di/culties in pursuing his studies in Salamanca, in Septemer !%&" he decided to continue them in 0aris, and passing through Barcelona, he arrived in 0aris on Feruary &, !%&$.
1sid 1side e rom rom thes these e thr three visi visits ts,, it se seem emss that that he pass passed ed thr through ough Barcelona on a couple o occasions. )he frst one would e prior to his conversion, proaly around March !%!2, the date on which the 3u*e o 456era, 7iceroy o 4avarra, was awarded the 8olden Fleece in the 9athedral o Barcelona. :e cannot imagine that Ignatius, eing at the time 8entleman in :aiting to the 3u*e, would not have een serving him on such an occasion. )his act would e;plain why the same Ignatius said in his 1utoiography <=!$>, telling us o his ear on going to Barcelona to emar* or Jerusalem? @where he might meet many who were acAuainted with him and would li*e to honor him. )his sentence would not ma*e sense had he not een in the city eore. 1nother 1nother visit might have ta*en ta*en place early in 1pril 1pril !%'%, !%'%, when, when, once his studies in 0aris were ended, he had to spend a ew months in his native country, and then he visited relatives o the companions he had let in 0aris. He fnally emar*ed or 7enice, either in 7alencia with a stopover in Barcelona, or directly in Barcelona, as Fr. 0olanco seems to indicate, and can e deduced orm some letters written later in Italy y Ignatius.
The Saint Ignatius Trail
1.-Jesuit's church in Casp street . In this church is on display the sword o Ignatius. He placed it and his dagger, as an e; voto oCering at the Monastery o Montserrat in !%&&. :e start here the Ignatian )our. 9ross 9asp street and stay on Doger de +lEria until you reach rAuinaona 0lace. )urn let there onto Donda Sant 0ere and ollow it until you reach MGnde 4Ee street, the second street on the right. Stay on MGnde 4Ee until it crosses Sant 0ere 0lace and ecomes Basses de Sant 0ere. eep on and it will ta*e you to Sant 1gustK 7ell 0lace. 2.-Sant Agustí Vell Place. 1s Ignatius came rom Manresa, he entered Barcelona y 0ortal 4ou Street. Lou will fnd it on your let as you enter Sant 1gustK 7ell 0lace. )he gateway o the medieval wall o the city was at the eginning o 0ortal 4ou. Lou can still see a part o the ancient arches. 1t the opposite end o the place there is a watering trough or horses. Its location and shape its the same that Ignatius would have seen. However, the stones are not the original ones. 3.-Marcús Chapel. )a*e 9arders street until it intersects with Montcada street. 1t that 6unction you come to MarcEs 9hapel. It was uilt in !! y Bernat MarcEs. )here was a statue o Nur +ady o the :ay here. 8roups o travellers would stop to see* her protection or their upcoming 6ourney. Interestingly it was not destroyed during the Spanish 9ivil :ar. )he interior, oten repaired, oCers nothing particularly attractive. )he current image o Nur +ady is not the one in place at the time o Ignatius. 4e;t door, in the intersection with 1ssaonadors, there is a representation o John the Baptist with a delightul inscription in 9atalan.
.-!lana Place. 9ome ac* to 9arders street which, eginning at this point, is called 9orders, and wal* up to +lana place. BOria street is the continuation o the place. )he last little lane on the let is Saint Ignatius street, parallel to 7ia +aietana. InGs 0ascual had her house on this street. :hen in Barcelona, Ignatius made her home his ase. InGs 0ascuals house no longer e;ists. It was torn down in !$%&, when the 0rincesa Street was uilt. )he area o the hous in which Ignatius used to stay is at the point where Sant Ignatius street meets ", 0rincesa street, as you come rom BOria street. ".-#asílica $e Santa María $el Mar. :e wal* down 0rincesa street until it intersects Montcada street on your right. Montcada street ends in a mini sAuare. Nn our right you fnd Somrerers street which runs the length o the BaKlica de Santa Maria del Mar. )a*e Somrerers street until you reach the side door o the BasKlica. 1cross rom this door is Mirallers Street on which )eacher JerPnimo 1rdGvol lived. Santa Maria del Mar church was put up y the cratmens guild o the city as a *ind o counteralance to its 9atedral, which catered to the noility and the aristocracy. :hen Ignatius was in Barcelona there was a great wooden choir lot, typical or the many Spanish 9athedrals o the day. )his particular part was adly damaged during the !2' 9ivil :ar. Since the removal o the choir, the central nave now shows a dignifed splendor. Qnter the Basilica and loo* to your let or the door that you saw previously rom the outside. 1s you loo* to your let in ront o this door you will see a holy water stoop. Beneath it, on the top step that leads to a side chapel, you will see a plaAue with this inscription? this is where ather Ignatius used to sit when he was egging alms. 1ccording to documents in the 1rchives o the Basilica, dating to !"!", the location o this place is physically accurate. %.-&ngel Place. Q;it y the ront door o the churchR turn right into 1rgenteria street staying on it to 7ia +aietana. )urn right again at the intersection and ollow 7ia +aietana to ngel 0lace. 1t the eginning o the TT century the city uilt the 7ia +aietanaR in doing so they truncated BOria street. In ', BOria street teacher 1rdGvol had his 8eneral Study and there he taught Ignatius +atin. .-Qnter Jaume I street, the frts road on your let in 3agueria streetR ollow it along until you come to Sant Just 0lace. Nn your right you will see the church, called Sants Just I 0astor, where Ignatius listened intently to the sermon, whilst sitting among the children. It was here that Isael Doser oserved Ignatius devotion and simplicity. Isael Dosers house is right in ront o this church, a uilding with the aUade dec*ed out with Voral design. (.-)eal Capilla $el Palau. 9ontinuing along the side o the church, the Hercules street, you reach the 9iutat street. Npposite you see the Municipal 8overnment uilding with a medieval aUade. I you turn let twice, you end up venid the new government uilding. Lou enter )emplaris street which, on your let, ta*es you 0alau street. )here, on
the let in ', you will fnd our present Jesuit Desidence. In its church, ormerly the chapel o the Doyal 0alace, there is a mattress and a stool used y Ignatius when he was staying in InGs 0acuals house.
*.-Cate$ral. 9ross Sant Jaume 0lace and enter Bise street on the other side o the 0lace, and you are in the amous 8othic Wuarter. )wo more signifcant places? the chapel o Santa QulXlia located elow the main altar o the 9atedral. In the time o Ignatius this was the chapel o the Blessed Sacrament. In it Ignatius spent many long hours in prayer. 1nd, the house o the 1rchdeacon, directly across rom the chapel o Santa +ucia in the 9athedral and Auite close to the Bishops 0alace. In the days o Francis Borgia this house was the 0alace o the 7ice-Doy. :hen 0eter Faer frst visited Barcelona he met Francis Borgia in that palace. For details of San Ignatius pass by Barcelona you can see the booklet "Ignatian Memories in Barcelona", by Miquel Lop SJ
